At a school function in K. Chettipalayam near Tiruppur, Annamalai, founder of the We The Leaders organisation, appealed to students to take the lead in discouraging alcohol use. He said that people are more likely to listen when the message comes from students.
Speaking at the Kamarajar birth anniversary celebrations at Vivekananda Vidyalaya, he recalled K. Kamarajar’s public life, noting that he spent nine years in prison and later served nine years as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. He credited Kamarajar with significantly improving school enrolment despite not having studied in a formal school.
Annamalai also contrasted Kamarajar’s governance with the present, citing differences in budget size and cabinet strength. He said Kamarajar ran a smaller cabinet, included a Scheduled Caste representative, and even appointed a former electoral opponent as a minister.
Referring to a recent study, he said 24% of men aged 18 to 70 consume alcohol and 18% are addicted. He stressed the need for collective action to build a healthy society and called for stronger control of narcotics, including ganja.
He announced that We The Leaders would take up the issue as a campaign and conduct outreach for a month, urging students to carry the message into public spaces and influence others to stop drinking.
